Method and apparatus for applying patches to bags



Feb. 11, 1941. L. BISCHOFF 2,231,051

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES TO BAGS Filed June 22, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q INVENTOR. Jouis JBischo/f BY Z Z I ATTORNEY.

Feb. 11, 1941.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES TO BAGS L. BISCHOFF 31,051

Filed June 22, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENI'OR. .5014 is 9511:, chaff ATTORNEY.

Feb. 11, 1941. 2,231,051

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES T0 BAGS L. BISCHDFF Filed June 22, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 mvmox gar-i5 $ischoff BY Z ATTORNEY.

L. BISCHOFF 2,231,051

METHOD AND APPARATUS FQR APPLYING PATCHES TO BAGS Feb. 11, 1941.

Filed June 22, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet! Ii-E.

mmM/w f 4,

Feb. 11, 1941. L. BISCHOFF 2,231,051

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES TO BAGS Filed June 22, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ,Bouis sBisehoff ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES T BAGS Application June 22, 1937, Serial No. 149,612

8 Claims: (01. 93-8) Another object of my invention is to provide My invention relates to an apparatus and method for applying relatively small sections of flat material to aseries-of objects and more specifically relates to an apparatus and method for applying reinforcing patches of paper onto the bottom of paper bags.

The bag operated upon by my invention comprises the ordinary folded paper bag produced from paper which is cut and folded in tubular shape, secured in such tubular form, and a bottom formed thereon by folding one end of the tube in such a way as to close the end. According to my invention I automatically apply over the folded flaps of such apaper bag a reinforcing patch designed to hold the flaps securely in place,

. to reinforce the bottom of the bag against a load thereon (the bottom of the bag ordinarily representing its Weakest point), and also to make the bag sift-proof i. e. to prevent powdered material contained therein from sifting through.

It has been customary in this art to apply the re-enforcing patches to the bottom of the ba by hand, commercially satisfactory machines having been unavailable. In hand operation, 25 superfluous operations are necessitated by prac. tical circumstance. When the worker picks up a patch and applies adhesive to it and repeats this operation rapidly he is bound to smear adhesive on his fingers and from there to both sides of 30 subsequently handled patches. After the adhesive smeared pat h is applied to the bag, the bag is stored with oth r ags. If adhesive is smeared on both sides of the patch, the bag adheres to adjacent bags. An extra operation of either cleaning the patch or separating the sticky bags is therefore necessary. This materially increases the cost of the operation. Hand operation is therefore highly undesirable.

It has long been desired to replace theusual forci' patches to bags. but it has been found diii ic t to discover a machine adapted to perform the necessary operations with the requisite speed, accuracy and without frequent tie-ups.

method of hand application of such small rein'' synchronous means for performing a series of operations. (Another object of my invention is to utilize the lower blade of the cutting knives as a positioning stop for the paper bag to which the out patch is applied.

Other objects will be evident as I proceed to -more fully describe my invention.

Briefly, I apply a re-enforcing patch to the bottom of a paper bag by causing a strip of material from which such patches are to be cut to be brought forward between suitable feeding rollers and over an adhesion inducing means, which is adapted to apply an adhesion inducing surface onto the underside of this strip of reinforcing material, and I then lead this adhesive strip forward to a position wherein it lies directly over the bag, the bag having been brought forward either automatically or by hand from a bag making machine at. the other end of this patch apply-' ing machine to a position where its forward bottom portion lies against the lower blade of the cutting knife and under the reinforcing strip with the folded bottom portion of the bag facing upwardly and the moistened adhesive portion of the reinforcing strip facingdownwardly. Thereupon, the patch is cut off from the reinforcing strip and applied to the folded bottom of the bag. The folded portion of the bag with the patch applied thereon'is then turned at an angle along the. axis of the bottom of the bag so that another means can be introduced to push the rear end of the folded bottom portion forward and introduce it between two coacting belts that carry it away a into a receptacle.

Figure-1 represents a plan view of the apparatus of my invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure'l.

Figure 3 is a side elevation taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 represents a side elevation of the cutting means of t 4-4 of Figure Figure 5 repr ents a side elevation taken along the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 represents a 'plan view of the cam and cam mountings taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 2. a

Figure 7 is a side elevatiton of the pawl and ratchet arrangement by which the intermittent feeding operation is obtained taken along the line 11 of Figure 1.

Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 are cross-sectional side elevations showing the operations of bringing the bag forward to its proper position under the manipulating member and against the lower knife for cutting a reinforcing patch, applying the patch to the bottom of a paper bag, pressing the applied reinforcing means to the bottom of the bag, turning the bottom of the bag to an angle with respect to the bag, and discharging the bag from the working platform.

Figure 12 represents a plan view of the bag.

Figure 13 represents a side elevation of the bottom of the bag.

Referring now more particularly to the'drawings. and especially to Figure 2, I provide upon a suitable structure I a supporting arm 2 secured by the bolts 2'. Upon this supporting arm is mounted a reel 3 adapted to carry a roll of reinforcing paper 4 with an adhesive under-surface 5. The paper 4 is led forward between rubber rolls 8 and 9 fixedly mounted on shafts 6 and 1 respectively, said rubber rolls being adapted to coact and feed forward the paper 4. These rolls are operated intermittently by means shown in Figure 5 and which will be more specifically described later. Roll 8 is yieldably pressed toward hisinvention taken along the line roll 9 by a spring II which acts to draw roll 8 towards roll 9, the shaft 6 upon which roll 8 is mounted I3.

After passing between rolls 8 and 9 the paper 4 then travels over an applicator drum I6 fixedly mounted on shaft I5 driven by chain I1 as will be more specifically described hereafter. The applicator drum I6 is positioned to move through the tank I9 which tank carries adhesion-inducing liquid 29. From the applicator I6,'the paper 4 is fed over a flanged roller 23 mounted upon a shaft 22, also driven by chain I1 and adapted to coact with a laterally equal flanged roll 24- mounted on shaft 26 which is freely movable in sliding vertical relationinslot 21.

Set in horizontal alignment and to be seen in Figures 2 and 4 is a lower knife blade 29 adapted to coact with and pivoted at 28 to an upper knife blade 39 mounted on an arm 3|, which arm 3| is pivotally mounted at 32 and is moved vertically against the action of the spring 33 by a cam I6I against a roller I62 mounted on an arm I63 pivoted at I64, which cam will be more specifically described hereafter.

The apparatus above described in detail operates to bring forward the reinforcing strip 9 with its adhesive coated undersurface 5 between the rolls 8 and9, which intermittently operate to feed forward this strip over the adhesion inducing means I6, whereupon the reinforcing strip 4 is brought forward between the flanged rolls 23 and 24, which operate to hold the strip only at its edges and exert a'constant-pressure to :drag it forward. The strip is thus led forward between the knives 29 and 39 to a position under the manipulating member 19 and over the bag. the introduction of which will be described. The

being set upon an arm I2 pivoted at knives 29 and 39 then operate to cut ofi the small patch,'which is to be applied to the bottom of the paper bag.

On a suitable supporting structure is mounted a platform 59 on which the bags to be reinforced are brought from the bag making machine either automatically or byhand. A section of the platform 59 is .cut away at 5| through which protrudes a pusher rod 52 adapted to push forward the bags to the position in which the reinforcement patch will be applied. The rod 52 is firmly afiixed at 55 to an arm 56. The arm 56 is rigidly connected through the pivot 51 to the arm 58 which terminates in a roller 59 forced to bear against the cam I66 by the action of a spring 69. -The cam I66 thus controls the operation of the pusher rod 52. The pusher rod 52 operates to move forward the bag to be operated on so that its folded bottom lies under the manipulating member 19 which is shown in more detail in Figures 8 to 11. The lower knife 29 acts as a stop and positioning means for the forward part of the bottom of bag. See Figures 2 and 8. This is an important feature of my invention.

Adapted to coact with said manipulating mem ber 19 is a trigger 15 mounted on a shaft 16 and I actuated by vertically moving rod 11 pivoted at 18 and 19 and terminating in said pivot 19 resting in a roller 8I- which rides on a cam I58 whose action will be more fully described hereafter. Said vertically moving rod 11 is connected with an arm 82 through a pivot 19, the arm 82 being fixedly pivoted at 83. The vertical motion of the rod 11 acts against the spring 84.

Two traveling belts 81 and 88 are trained over fixed rollers 89, 9|, 92, 93, and 96 and roll 95 terminates in a sprocket wheel I13 which is driven by a chain "2 as shown in Figure 3. The lower portion of the belt 88 istrained over a roll 91 mounted on a shaft 98 in an arm 99, which arm is pivoted at I99. The arm 99 is acted on by spring I92 so that the roll 91 tends to pull the belt 88 downwardly and maintain it in a taut condition, thus maintaining a pressure between the belts during their contacting path from rollers 92 and 93 to rollers 95 and 96.

The chain l1 moves to drive the applicator I6 and the" flanged roll 23 by means of the pulley II9 mounted upon the power driven shaft I55. The coacting belts 81 and 88 deliver the pressed bag and reinforcing piece into the receptacle I I2. The. above described apparatus serves to bring forward the bag, which has been delivered automatically or by hand from the bag making machine A and is pushed forward by the rod 52 with its folded bottom portion 29I uppermost as shown in Figure 13, to a position in which the bottom portion lies directly under the'manipulating member 19, whereupon the patch 292 with the adhesive surface drops on the upper folded portion of the bottom of the bag 299 forming a reinforcing patch thereon. The manipulating member 19 then swings in a clockwise movement. causing the bottom of the bag to be turned upwardly as in Figure 19 so that when the trigger 15 enters between the bifurcations I96 and I91 of the manipulating member 19, the bottom of the bag is both pressed by the manipulating member 19 and pushed forward into engagement 2M and the bag 299 is conducted forward into the receptacle II2.

Referring more particularly to Figure 5, at the v in engagement therewith. This ratchet wheel .I I5

with teeth H6 is suitably mounted on the shaft 1, to the end of which shaft is amxed arm II8, the end of which is in pivot engagement at the point II9 with an arm I20. At this pivot point I I9 is a pawl I2I which engages the ratchet teeth H6, as shown in more detail in Figure '1. The arm I20 is vertically operated by and is pivoted about a pin I26 which is set in a block I29 which rides in a slot I30. The block I29 is set at a fixed position in the slot I30 by a fastening device I3I'. The slot I30 is set in the wheel I21 which rotates on a shaft I28 driven by a suitable power source. The farther the block I29 isv set from the shaft I28, the greater the stroke of the arm I20. Thus theintermittent feed of the roller feeding means 1 can be varied and regulated as desired.

Referring more particularly now to'the pawl and ratchet arrangement in Figure '1, the 'pawl referred to generally as I2I consists of an engaging rod I22 pressed by spring I23 into engagement with ratchet teeth H6. It is to be noted that the engaging surface of this rod at I24 is obliquely shaped so as to securely engage ratchet teeth II6 when being moved downwardly and which will slide out ofengagement with the ratchet teeth by reason 'of the surface and the spring action when moving upwardly.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 6, a main shaft I55 is driven by power-driven pulley I56, the power being applied through a belt I54. Fixedly mounted upon and adapted to rotate with this power-driven shaft is a cam I59, which operates the trigger mechanism 15 through the roller 8| and rod 11, more specifically shown in Figure 2 and described hereafter.

Also fixedly mounted upon this shaft is a sprocket wheel with teeth III adapted to engage the chain I1 described hereinbefore. Fixedly mp'unted next on this shaft I55 and adapted path the roller I62 mounted on the arm I63,'

which is pivoted at I64, thus vertically moving the rod 3|, which operates the knife mechanism, more particularly shown in Figures 2 and 4.

Mounted next on the power-driven shaft I55 and fixed thereto is the cam I66, which by the contour of its periphery actuates a movement in roller 59 mounted on the arm 58 which acts through the pivot at 51 to actuate the pusher rod 52, shown more particularly in Figure 2.

Mounted next on the power-driven shaft I55 and fixed to rotate therewith is a sprocket wheel I10 with teeth "I which engage chain I12, which chain runs over gear I13 which drives the roll 95, supplying the power for the conveying belts. Fixedly mounted next on the power-driven shaft I55 and adapted to rotate therewith is a cam I16, which moves, by its peripheral contour,

roller I11 in a vertical path. Roller I11 is fixed I trigger 15, as indicated in the Figures 8 to 11. This bifurcation is shown in plan in Figure 1.

I shall now describe the operation of my device. A roll of paper 4 is mounted upon the shaft 3 and is fed between the rubber rolls 8 and 9, the upper roll 0 being yieldably pressed against roll 9 so that a firm grip upon the paper is established. Intermittent action of the feeder roll 1 is established .by means of the pawl and ratchet arrangement shown more particularly in Figures 5 and 6. The rotation of the rotating wheel I21 acts ,to move the arm I20 vertically, thus causing a rock up and down motion of the arm II8 through the pivot II9. On its downward path the pawl I2I engages the ratchet teeth H6 and moves it through a predetermined path (see also Figure '7). On: the upward path of arm II8 the pawl I2I slips byrthe ratchet teeth II6 with no movement of the wheel I I5. It is to be seen, therefore, that by reason of the here-described mechanism the rolls 9 and 9 operate periodically and intermittently to feed forth a certain length of the reinforcing paper 4 in the indicated path. The position of the block I29 in the slot I30 determines the extent of the length of paper fed each time.

On emerging from the feeder rolls 8 and 9, the

paper 4, which has an under-surface with an adstrip. The paper thus moves through the flanged rolls 23 and 24, which engage it only at its edges by reason of their spindle shape, as shown more clearly in Figure 1, so as not to mar the moistened adhesive under-surface of the paper. The upper roll 24 is slidably mounted; its shaft 26 sliding in the slot 21 rests on the lower spindle roll 22 which is driven by the chain I1. Thus a constant drag on the intermittently advancing paper 4 is maintained. In a modified form of my invention the upper roll 24 could be solid surfaced instead of having flanged ends since there is no adhesive surface on the upper side of the re-enforcing strip which side comes in contact with this roll'24. As the paper is fed forward, it passes through the open knives 29 and 30 pivoted at 28, as is more particularly shown in Figure 4, tov a position under the manipulating member 10 and over the bag which has been advanced to a proper position against the lower knife blade 29' from the other end of the mechanism.

An ordinary paper bag 200 is shown in plan and side elevation in Figures 12 and 13. It is to be noted that the bottom of the bag 20I is folded in a conventional manner about the lower portion of the bag. The purpose of this invention is to apply the reinforcing piece 202 to the bottom of that bag, thus making a solid bag structure with reinforcedient at the point of greatest strain. A bagwith its bottom folded thereover as shown in Figure 13 is placed upon the platform with the folded portion uppermost. When the bag is V placed upon this platform, pusher rod 52 is in its position farthest back, indicated by dotted lines. By suitable cam action acting through the roller 59 and arms 56 and 50, the pusher rod 52, which is firmly afiixed at 55, is brought forward to the solid line position. In its path forward it brings the bag 200 forward on the platform 50 so that the folded bottom 2! comes to a stop under the manipulating member and against the lower knife blade 29. When the bag has reached this position, the adhesive coated paper 4 is brought forward by reason of the related action of the chain H4 which intermittently drives the roll 8 and by reason of the action of the chain I1. which continuously drives the applicator roll I6 and the flanged roll 23. The paper 4 with its adhesiveunder-surface moistened from the bath 20 is brought to a position indicated in Figure 2 and there is positioned directly over the bottom of the bag Zlll with the moistened adhesive surface 5 facing downward. At this point, by reason'of the related cams shown in Figure 6, there is effected the action which is shown quite clearly in Figures 8 to '11. First the enlarged portion of the cam I 6| comes in contact with and forces downwardly the roller I62, which is rigidly mounted on the arm I63 pivoted at I64. By its action through 32 the rod 3I is moved downwardly and the knife blade 30 comes in cutting contact with the lower knife blade 29, cutting off the advanced portion of this paper 4. This section 202 of moistened adhesive paper then drops to its proper position on the folded bottom of the bag 20I, as shown in Figure 9.

There now follows a coacting movement of the manipulating, member 10 and the trigger 15, shown more particularly in Figures 10 and 11.

' The manipulating member 10 rotating upon an axis I84 is extended in the lever I83, which is pivoted at the point I82. The arm I82 to which this member 10 is attached is moved vertically by means of the roller I11, which rides upon the cam I16. The enlarged portion I15 of the cam I16 acts, as is shown in Figure 3, "to hold the member 10 in its normal position shown in Figures 2 and 3. When the member I 11 rides upon the lower portion of the cam I 14, the manipulating member 10 is moved in the manner shown in Figures 10 and 11. At the same time that this member 10 is so moved, the trigger 15 is actuated through the rod 11 terminating in the roller 8|, which rides on the cam I58. When the enlarged surface I59 of-this cam I58 contacts with the roller M, the trigger 15 is forced down through the bifurcated portions I85 and I81 of the manipulating member 10, which has by its action shown in Figures 10 and 11 both established a firm-er contact between the reinforcing piece 202 and the bottom of the Bag 20I and moved the bottom of the bag at an angle from its original position with respect to the remainder of the bag, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. The trigger 15 now comes down and contacts the rear edge 203 of the bottom of the bag 20I and throws it forward so that the forward edge of the bottom of the bag is forced between the travelling belts 81 and 88, as shown more clearly in Figure 11.- These belts 81 and 88 draw the bottom of the bag 20I and the bag 200 itself from the platform 50 to between their engaging surfaces, wherein the reinforcing section 202 is firmly pressed onto the bottom of the bag 20I and the entire bag 200 carried forward between these belts 81 and 88 and discharged into the receptacle II2.

It is to be noted that, as shown in Figure 6, upon a single driven shaft I55 there is mounted the operating cams and the driving pulleys; the cams are so placed so that the various operations indicated previously will coact in the desired and indicated manner. The positions of these cams and their surfaces with respect to each other is indicated in Figures 2 and 6. The operation of all mechanisms of this machine are initiated from a set of operating means which are in fixed synchronous relation to each other and virtually set on a single shaft.

By means of the apparatus and method abovedescribed, I have found it possible to apply reinforcing patches to bags quickly, economically and efliciently.

Various changes and modifications can be made in the apparatus shown by one skilled in the art without departing from the invention here disclosed. I intend to limit my invention only as set out in my claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for applying re-enforcing patches to bags, in combination, a platform; means for positioning the bag with its folded bottom uppermost on the platform; means for feeding a strip of material to a position over the bottom of said bag; means for applying a patch from said strip of material to the bottom of the bag; means for turning the bottom of the bag to an angle with respect to the remainder of the bag and means for advancing the bag adapted to coact with the turned bottom of the bag.

2. In a machine for applying re-enforcing patches to bags, in combination, a platform; means for positioning the bag upon said platform with its folded bottom uppermo t; means for feeding intermittently a strip of ma erial forward to a position over the bottom of the bag; means for continuously drawing said strip of material forward; means for applying a patch from said strip of re-enforcing material to the bottom of the bag; means for turning the bottom of thetom of the bag; means for turning the bottom of the bag to an angle with respect to the remainder of the bag; and means for advancing the bag from the platform.

4, In a machine for applying re-enforcing patches to bags, in combination, a platform; means adapted to periodically engage and move forward said paper bag to a position on said platform with its folded bottom uppermost;

means for intermittently feeding a strip of material to a position over said bottom of the bag;

means for-continuously drawing said strip forward; means for severing a portion of said strip to provide a patch upon the bottom of said bag; means for turning the bottom of said bag to an angle with respect to the remainder of the bag; and means for advancing the bag from the platform.

5. In a machine for applying re-enforcing patches to bags, in combination, a platform; a pusher member adapted to engage and bring forward a bag with its folded bottom uppermost to a certain position upon the platform; means for causing the pusher member to move back and forth at predetermined intervals; variable means for intermittently feeding a strip of material comprising, a roll yieldably mounted in engagement with a similar roll; means for inducing adhesion on one surface of said strip of material;

means comprising a flanged roll to engage and;

continuously draw forward said advancing strip .of material; means for severing a patch from coacting endless means for pressing and carrying off the bags with patches thereon; means for causing the coacting endless means to be pressed together; and timing means for operating these' mechanisms in synchronous and coacting 'relationship.

6. A process for applying a re-enforcing patch to the bottom of a bag comprising positioning a bag with its folded bottom uppermost; intermittently advancing a strip of re-enforcing material; inducing adhesion on one surface of said'strip; exerting a continuous draw upon said advancing strip of material to position a portion of said strip over the folded bottom of the bag; applying a section of the re-enforcing strip; drawing the bag forward and pressing the patch firmly and securely to the bottom of the bag.

'7. A process for applying a .re-enforcin patch to the bottom of a bag comprising periodically positioning a bag with its folded bottom uppermost; advancing a strip of re-enforcing material; inducing adhesion on one surface of said strip; exerting a continuous draw upon said advancingstrip of material to position a portion of said strip over the folded bottom of the bag; severing the portion of said strip to form a patch; applying the patch to the folded bottom of the bag; turning the folded bottom of the bag; pressing the patch upon the bottom of the bag; exerting a moving effect upon the turned bottom of the bag; drawing the bag forward and pressing the patch firmly and securely to the bottom of the bag.

8. A process for applying a re-enforcing patch to the bottom of a bag comprising periodically positioning a bag with its folded bottom uppermost; intermittently advancing a strip of re-enforcing material; inducing adhesion on one surface of said strip; exerting a continuous draw upon said advancing strip of material to position a portion of said strip over the folded bottom of c the bag; severing the portion of said strip to form V a patch; applyingthe patch to the folded bottom of the bag; turning the folded bottom of the bag; pressing the patch upon the bottom of the bag; exerting a moving efiect upon the turned bottom of the bag; drawing the bag forward; and pressing the patch firmly and securely to the bottom of the bag.

' LOUIS BISCHOFF. 

